Dimitrios Koukas

Why you have to shoot there, where there is nothing to see in the background and you don't have the budget to light it? I mean.. if it's part of the scenario to be like that, then leave it as it is, but if you want to have something look like something else in the background then change the location. You can do the same in a dark room....IMHO as always...

Phedon Papamichael Jr. :rolleyes: Oh! and me sometimes...but not in Hollywood lol. For some years now there is a new kind of title director/cinematographer and mostly in tv commercials.

Are you recording on cartidges? This is one tricky menu, especially when you don't won't to delete yesterdays scenes... Check it out. Be sure that is unloaded before you erase it... :lol:

Hi, By just using 25Fps/ 172.8 Shutter will solve your problem in most cases, be sure the sound enginneer does the same too, (if you don't recording sound on RED) it will save you some Post production. The good thing with video cameras is that you can check the flicker . If you are in a place with industrial or home fluorescent lights, try not to use more than 50Fps. They won't exactly flicker but the light will go down and up in periods. I believe by just using Normal operating mode for your shutter will do. Mode: enables one of three following shutter modes. Default selection is Normal. Normal: Shutter Speed is defined exclusively by the Shutter Speed setting. Syncro: Shutter Speed is defined by Shutter Speed, but modified by Syncro setting. Relative: Shutter Speed is defined by Shutter Speed, but modified by the capture fps. To Convert Shutter Speed to Angle Equivalent: Equivalent Degrees = (Shutter Speed x Frame Rate x 360) E.g. = (1/48 x 24 x 360) = (8640 / 48) = 180 Shutter Degrees Shutter Degrees 1/32 270 1/120 72 1/48 180 1/192 45 1/50 172.8 1/348 22.5 1/60 144 1/696 11 1/96 90 1/1000 8.6 To Convert an Angle to an Equivalent Shutter Speed: Equivalent Shutter = 1 / ( Frame Rate x 360 / Angle ) E.g. = 1/ (24 x 360 / 180) = 1/ (8640 / 180) = 1 / 48 Degrees Shutter Degrees Shutter 270 1/32 72 1/120 180 1/48 45 1/192 172.8 1/50 22.5 1/348 144 1/60 11 1/696 90 1/96 8.6 1/1000 I hope this helps. Dimitrios Koukas

They look like Nesys lights or Desisti, No problem lighting with them but add some more diffusion. I suggest 251. What excactly would be the background? Is there an exterior that you have to mimic the light source? Or just a CG Background? If it is the second then use rim light (backlight your subject). Be carefull not to have the subject near the screen cause like other comrades here are saying you will get a Green bounce from the wall to it. You can crosslight the background if you want instead of putting fixtures look directly have them crossing each other (like a virtual X ). The Green levels of your signal also should be the same or as near possible the Green colour bar.(from camera generator). Dim

A dimable balast for your 1200 HMI (cinepar I guess?) is a must and also have some extra span glass or light diffusion near your fixture ready to put on, I reccomend four pieces ready to be added little by little ,light changes dramatically in this time of day. Or have your gaffer or chief ready to move the light further away from the actor... Dim

Can you use something like a Joker bug K 5600-400W with a chimera to fill, keeping it as dark as possible, and for the close ups: 2 lamps from the four bank kino's that you ordered as rim or sidelights. I see a pole over the embeded in wall cross, can this accept the weight of a 350w fresnel? Gel it with 1/2 CTO but you will need to flag the light from the back of the fixture to have a clean_from_light wall. Use this for the coffin. Just a thought. Dimitrios

Bounch dedo's at some corners of the room, Experiment where is best for you. Hang the dedo's in the roof. Dim

@Sam Chandima Just don't excpect to see black lights (UV) recorded as you see them... ;)

That's a difficult question, because now in stages we use different types of light bulbs, some of them are tungsten (parcans) some other MSR's (color temperature: 7200 K) and many more like HMI's, LED's, aircraft lights etc. So if you want to make all of this look excactly like you see it, you have to correct ''the source'' [what is behind the colour gels or dichroic heads] to the desired Kelvins. 3200-5600-4300 or whatever your stock or your white balance is. Example : if you decide that you are filming with a 3200 K stock, you have to correct the MSR's and HMI's to 3200 K and leave the par cans uncorrected. There other factors that come to this game though, like loosing too much output from the fixtures from correcting them. Dim

Hi, I have been working for more than twenty years now in different types of formats from S16-S8-35 but also beta, u-matic, betaSP, dvcam, HD and so on. Nothing compares to the dynamic range the film gives to ones image, or nothing compares to looking through a reflex viewfinder. But when it comes to ergonomy, tight budgets, and quick shooting (wich means less crew), why not go with a digital format... It is just two things that we try to compare, that aren't comparable. Just beacuse both medias are producing images, doesn't mean that they have to be similar in everything. It is like comparing painting with cinematography. It's another thing and different tools are used for. How many times people buy a cheap video camera and add so many accessories onto it, to make it look (even externally) as a film camera? IMHO always I will just adjust to the tools I have to make a film, than try to avoid every new technology. A coin always have two sides... Dim

Do you want an eye-light opinion for a close-up? Or a medium shot. Or both? Please specify ;) Dim

By the specs I have the feelling that the best it can do is HD-SDI 4:4:4 RGB 2k. Please correct me if I am wrong here... Any critisism is more than welcome. Dimitrios Koukas

If you can, schedule your shoot for ''correct'' times of the day, where the sun isn't overhead too much. Your silks and screens will cover a bigger area. Unless you want to use something big as a football field. :) Dimitrios Koukas

IMHO, It isn't just lighting, it is also where do you want to exposure the negative (or any electronic sensor ccd,etc.). In wich part of the latitude. If for example you stop down to have the curtains of a window that is 4 stops up to normal exposure, you will get very nice silhouetes in the foreground. :) So lighting itself cannot stand in a scene. It is our job to use the correct exposure. I can exposure a ''low key'' scene 4 stops up and as a result I will get only the eybrows from the actors in the film (exaggerating a bit to make myself clear). Dimitrios Koukas

Hello, I believe that the use of colour charts and grey scale could help you. Dimitrios

I am not sure what do you mean, but you can still frame and focus from the camera's viewfinder, it doesn't affect this. And you can also use the video image to frame, if you have the correct marks of the aspect ratio that you are shooting on it.

Use t-stops on the lens for proper exposure and put the same number for the f/stop reading at your light meter. f/stops are calculated mathematically and t-stops is the actual openning of the lens iris that factory compensates for light loss. (As Stephen allready explained). Dimitrios Koukas

Have you ever heard of the Nesys lightsysteme GMH? BBC and RtL have allready installed many of them. I am their dealler for Greece. DMX controllable fluorescent fixtures! Great lights. As for the lights that you allready have, use a three colour colourmeter to see what colour balancing they require.Usually they will need some minus or plus green gels. Dimitrios Koukas

Many video cameras have 2 zebra level setups. U can set the desire zebra levels where you want, to have two different zebra patterns on your subject. U can set zebra1 at 65%-75% for normal exposure and Zebra2 at 85% for the highlights on a face,it depends at where u want to go with your contrast ratio. Dimitrios Koukas

Thank you Phil, Actually it's a documentary about a really old Greek singer (she is 100yrs old!). I was asked by the director, and honestly I couldn't find any clear answers in me for this! I am thinking of using Pro-mist's and diffusion, so detail level and contrast ratio is critical for me. We have both cameras available, and he is thinking if we maybe do a film scan in the future. Dimitrios Koukas

Wich is best quality wise? What camera/recorder, has less compression? Thanks in advance, Dimitrios Koukas

If the light is higher than the actor, if you tilt the glasses downwards a bit sometimes works. You can't ask the actor tilt his/her head down, I guess it will spoil the acting, unless it's just an insert of second/seconds. Dimitrios Koukas

What is your final release media going to be? You can do the rushes in one light and colour correct again from the negative, after your final cut. Dimitris Koukas

Hello, For the human eye, moonlight will light a curtain or a window background, if you have just one little source in the roon, or no light at all inside. So, if you are planning to use any light from the window, it should be well bellow your current T/stop for normal exposure. If you overexpose a window, it really doesn't matter what colour the light is, as it is going to ''glow'' and maybe ''burn'' out it's colour. As for your questions about the night exterior, it depends of the location that the scenario is reffering to. A house in the city? near a factory? opposite a bright casino? near a fun park etc. Dimitrios Koukas